Bean harvester



May 14, 1.929.

Filed July 21, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR ATTORNEY CeSfe/:B/o Z072 wQnv o o W WN KN o Q o 9 Sw W Nm. o o QJNI m i mv O O 1 L .I l I l lll,El r S new WN: .F :-ll ...u mv

May..l4, 1929. c. B. BROWN f BEAN HARVESTER Filed July 2l, 1926 3Sheets-Sheet 2 m n/1 'Bf-@W78 |NvENToR ATTOR'NEY c. B.: BROWN BEANARVESTER May 14, 1929.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 21, 1926 YPatented May 14, 1929.

UNITEDSTATES CHESTER, B.' BROWN,v or MonRrLL, 'NEBRASKA V BEANHARVESTER. v

' Application nieu July 21,

This invention contemplates the provision of a bean harvester, whereinthe vines are separatedV or spread apart and subsequently cut beneaththe surface of the ground, the cut vines being arranged in-rows, andfinally grouped in bunches by means carried at the rear of the machine.Y

In carrying out the invention I make use of an auxiliary frame uponwhich the spreading and cutting means are supported, with the framemounted for adjustment and controlled by a'lever, whereby its relationto the ground can be quickly and conveniently regulated.

vAnother object of the invention resides in the provision ofbunch'forming mechanism including a plurality of curved tines, mountedfor movement toward and laway, from the ground, and automaticallycontrolled in said'movements incident to theoperation of the machine.

The nature and advantages tion will be better understood when thefollowing detailed description is'read in con-V nection with theaccompanying drawings,AV

vthe inventionl residing -in the construction, combination andarrangement of parts as claimed. Y Y v In the drawings forming part ofthis application like numerals of reference indicate similar parts inthe several views and Where- Figure 1 is a side elevation. Figure 2 is atop plan view.

rear end of the machine showing thebunch forming 'mechanism mountedthereon. 'I

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line Vli-of Figure 2. l

blades and thebars for arranging the cut,

yFigure V5 is a, plan view of--the cutting vinesfin rows.

Figure is a similar view of the plow and dividing arms for the vines.

Figure 7 is a view-in elevation of one of the cutting bladesV and itsadjustable shank, and also showing 'the adjacent rodfor ar- I rangingthe vines in rows. Figure 8 is a similar view of the plow anditsadjustable shank showing :a yplurality of vine dividing rods.

YFigure 9 is a plan view of one of the cut'- ting blades with' itssupporting shank in sec- Y tion. Y Y 4 i Referring to-the drawings indetailAlin` of the inven-V 1926.' serial no. 124,072. Y

kdicates generally a krunning kgear of a motor operated vehicle, andwherein 10 represents the f rame thereof. `A .motor of the. Ford type isemployed indicated at` 12,*and this motor consequently includes` aplanetary transmission indicated at 13. Arranged directly behind thistransmission and connected `with the drive shaftof the machine' is asliding'transmission 14,'including a control lever 15, which is employed:for the reduction of speed as the occasion may re-v quire. The rear endof -gthe machine is braced by a transverse member 16 upon which the4frame l() reposes, the member 16 being connected with thespring perches17 in place ofthe usual transverse spring, and arched as at 18. Attachedto the main frame and extending rearwardly therefrom are auxiliary framemembers 19Vwhich are arranged beneath the transverse member 16,

, and which frame members are connected by ydiagonally disposed braces20as shown in Figure v2'. V,Thebunch forming mechanism is supported uponthese auxiliary frame members 19 in a manner to hereinafter de` scribed.Y u ,l Carried by and. suspended from the main frame at the forward endthereof-is an auxiliary frame, which -as clearlyy shownin- Figure 2 isrectangular in plan and Lof a ,size to project an appreciabledistancelbeyond both sidesrfof themachineasfshblwn. This'auxiliary frameincludesva-y front bar u 21,l arranged in advance of the front wheelsFigure 3 is alfragmentary view of the ..22 which have theircorresponding reaa' xtremities suitablyv secured to fthesid ofthe vmain-frame.` Thisfronqt bar21 is further supported vand braced byr seed.bracing members 23 which are. suitblyvarchedtas shown in Figure .1 topassV over .thefront axle, kthe extremities of these lbeing securedtothe rear adjacentl barflefpthe auxiliary frame, while theirextendingjorwardv extremities areY lpivotally Comte@ j with thefront bar21. Thesemembers are also connected with the bar 24, 'as areialso thespaced parallel members 25 of the frame, vthe-latter having theirforward extremities pivotally connected with-the, front bar 21. Again,the frontbar 2lis bradfand supported by members v26 which are ef angulari conteur tokbe securedto the sides of the'main frame v10 romfwhich theyproject fwax'fdly i land at' an inclination to the frontbar 2l`to whichthey arese'cured. This construction and arrangement supports ytheauxiliary frame upon the main Ytrame of the machine,`

and allows the auxiliaryirame to'be raised or lowered'with relation tothe ground, and also to be tilted endwise when the machine is movingover inclined 0r hollow territory. The rear bar 24 includes spaced upperand lower sections as clearly' shown in'fFigure l andbetween thesesections are passed' bolts 27 wl'iichrhold' the cooperating parts 23 and29 respectively ofV a clamp associated with said rear bar. These clampsare used in conjunction with the shanks of toolsV or implements to bchereinafter describedthe Shanks being indicated at 30, and each beingprovided with a slot 31, so'that thelatter can ,be adjusted verticallywith rel-ation to the bar 24 of the auxiliary frame. Bolts 32 are usedto hold the shanks ixed with relation toy sai'd'bar. As shown in Figurel there are two of suchshanks. 30 arranged at the rear of the bar 24anda single shank BOarranged in advance of said bar and in a: plane beand controlled by' the levers 33 andi-34 respectively, which lmechanismis fully de-l scribed and claimed in my kcol-pending ap vlp'li'ca'tion;Seri-al No. 61,545.- rlhe auxiliary frame supports-theShanks 30 of the various vimplements to be presently described.

Each shank 30 arranged at the front of the rearbar 24 has associatedwith the lower end thereof a plow' 315, while projecting reari wardlyfrom the plow and also liroin the shank are divergenti-y disposed rods-36 which together with the plow are used to di? vide `and separate thevines of the beans as Each of the vpair of Shanks 30' arranged at'therear oi will bereadily understood.

said bar has secured tothe lowerend thereof a-cutting blade 37, andthese adjacent kblades are also arranged in divergentV relation, therebeing one blade used'` with each Vgroup of rods 3G; Thebliades arearranged horizontally, although their forward ends arefoifset angularlyas at 38 to be attached 'to the adjacent shank as shown in Figure 9.VrThese blades are used in pairs `for each plow, and the blades areheld-spaced-apart in divergent relation by suitable spacing elements 39and 40l respectively. As the-machine moves yinfertilie surface, the plow35 and Yrods'36 divide, or separate the twisted v vinesfas above stated,and these vinesare subsequently cut beneath the surface of the ground bythe adjacent b`lades37. Now,

i carried by the Shanks 30 forthe blades 37,

Vwheels of themachine. this-lever is pivotallyconnected with an op-'used to throw the severed vines onto the ground in spaced rows, so thatthey can be convemently bunched by a mechanismcaru Lri'e'd at the rearol the machine during the continued travel of the latter.

r.lhis'bu-iiching mechanism comprises a two rpart bar. arrangedtransversely across the rear of the machine, one part of the bar beingangular in cross section and indicated at 42, while the other part otthe bar indicated v at 43 is adapted to berbolted .or otherwise suitablysecured tothe `part V42. Between these parts of the bar a plurality ofcurved tines'43 are securetheach tine being formed with a resilient coilat a'point adjacent its connection with said bar, The bar is pivoted asat 45 upon spaced lugs 46 carried by the auxiliary members 19 ofthe mainframe, so that the bar together with its tincs canv be raised .andlowered with relation to the ground. Then the tines are arranged in thepositionv shownin Figure l, they engage the cut or severed vines andarrange the latter iny bunches as the machine progresses, thc size ofthebunchbeing detei-ininedby the movement of the ltines, away from theground, and being Vsubsequently lowered to form another bunch, whichoperation automatically takes place while .theV machine. is in use.Securedv to theauxiliary frame members 19 in parallelism with thepivoted bar 42 is an additional stationary bar 47 yfrom which aplurality'of parallelfarms 48' project rearwardly, and are arranged toproject, between the tines 43 when the latter are 1n their lowermost oryactive positions as shown in Figure l. Connecting these arms 48 is abar 49 arranged parallel with the bar 47,.the arrangement of these partsbeing such thatv when the tines 43 are raised or elevated, the arms `48andbar l49 are used tomove the vinesv from the tines, and

thereby bunch lthe latter on the ground.

lVhile any suitable mea-nsl may be em-V ployed for automatically andintermittently `moving' the tines 43 forward andaway from the ground forthe purposeV above mentioned, I preferably employV a lever-50' whichvis, pivoted at its lower end asgat 5l upon a suitable bracket ladjacentone' of the tractor VThe upper end of erating rod 52, the other end ofwhich is connected with an extension 53 'carried by the pivoted barA ofthe bundling-device.

Carried by' theV wheel is a pin or lugV 54 ywhich Vis arranged'tolengage the lever 50 during each revolution of the wheel, and move saidlever from the positionV shown in Figure I tol thel position itAoccupies in Figure 3, during which operation of the lever Y complishesthe desired results in a quick and convenient manner. In other wordswhile the machine is moved over the ground or surface, the vines of thebeans'are first divided or spread apart by the plow and rodsv36, and aresubstantially cut by the blades 37 from points beneath the surface ofthe ground. As the vines are severed,

.they contact the angular-shaped rods 41 which throws the vinesoutwardly of the blades 37 so as not to obstruct or clog the latter, andat the same time arrange the vines in parallel rows along the surface.During the continued movement of the machine, the bunch formingmechanism is broughtinto use, the tines 43 thereof movingfalong theground for an appreciable ,length` of time to arrange the vines inbunches, for which purpose the tines as above stated are automaticallyraised andlowered once during each revolution of the tractor wheels of'the machine. By this arrangement the vines are arran ed in bunchesapproximately every ten eet, the vines being movedV from the tines bythe stationary framelike structure including the arms 48 and bar 49.

This complete operation is performed during the progress of the machineover the surface, and the time, eiort and cost of this character of workreduced to a minimum;

While it is believed that from the foregoing description, the nature andadvantages ofthe invention will be readily apparent, I desire to haveitunderstood, that I do not limit myself to what is herein shown anddescribed and that such changes may be resorted to when desired as fallwithin the scope of what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A bean harvester comprising a tractor, a rigid rectangular framefixed thereon extending outward from the wheel base, a pair of pivotedrearwardly extendinnr plow beams carried at the forward end o the frame,a lever and rquadrant to adjust the beams vertically, a plow and fiatblade knife carried on vertical arms of such beam, diverging rods forvdiverting the vines laterally ofthe machine, andv gathering means atthe rear of the tractor.

2. A bean harvester comprisin a tractor vehicle, a pair of beams pivotedorward of the wheelbase, a plow and flat knife blade vwheeled inalignment on each beam, a row of latv erally diverging rods intixed'relation over each plow, and gathering means at kthe rear of thevehicle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHESTER B. BROWN.

